Xerophyte

Leaves

Thin, elliptical, oblong to oblanceolate, 6 to 21 cm long, 2 to 7 cm wide, acuminate, cuneate at base, tapering into petioles 2 to 3.5 cm long.Areoles Circular, bearing when young a little wool, but soon becoming naked.

Seeds

6 mm long, black, shining.

Description

Pereskia bleoSN|28898]]SN|28898]] is usually a shrub or small tree, but sometimes half-clambering, 2-8 meters high. The cylindrical stem is covered with large spines. The pretty bright orange/red flowers appear continuously and resemble single rose blossoms.

Flowers

produced terminally and laterally in inflorescences, naked, bright red, scarlet, salmon, or orange-red, 4-6 cm(1.6-2.4 in) in diameter, calyx turbinate, somewhat angled, naked and top shaped, with linear deciduous sepals; petals 12 to 15, rose-colored, obovate, 3.5 cm long; style longer than the stamens, red, thick; stigma-lobes 5 to 7; ovary depressed.

Stem

Trunk 15 cm in diameter or less, smooth, olive green to brownish grey, when old becoming naked, but young shoots often bear large fascicles of spines (sometimes as many as 40) up to 20(-25) mm long; young branches red, leafy, its spines in fascicles of 5 and 6, but twigs (young shoots) often bear but (0-)1 to 4(-5), black, acicular spines, 5-10 mm long. Venation pinnate, lateral veins 4-6 and often bifurcate.

Fruits

Truncate, 4-6 cm long and in diameter, nakedor with one or two bracts on the rim, yellow at maturity.